Slovak matters
Slovak matters is a column devoted to helping ex-pats and foreigners understand the beautiful but difficult Slovak language.
From ‘You’re a champ’ to ‘You saved my life’: A Slovak guide to saying something nice
Compliments can take you a long way in life.
Music in the veins
What to say when someone is bossy or blabs everything, inspired by music.
Kidnapping and virginity: brace yourself for a Slovak wedding
Some of the more traditional wedding rituals seem shocking today.
Dialects: You say potatoes, I say grule...or švábky?
Around Košice, asking for a pipka will get you a pipe but elsewhere might get you a smack.
You say nazdar, I say dovi
From ships to Latin, Slovak's greeting vocabulary is rich and broad.
How to get out of a conversation in a hurry
You might be jammed, whistling, or falling, preferably without a parachute.
Slovak romance: What to say when flirting, dating, or dumping
In Slovakia, you don’t just flirt – you "hook" (zháčiť) or "pack" (zbaliť). Here’s the slang you need to play the game – or decode it.
A Spanish bird made of beef
If you get hangry, you probably feel like a wolf when hungry.
Strong as a beech, thin as a poplar
Trees provide a rich background for all kinds of Slovak sayings.
Honey on the tongue, poison in the heart
Hopefully powerful politicians learn that the handle will eventually fall off the water jug.
What to make of mak
What to do when you don't like a beloved Slovak ingredient?
Slovník is its own reward
Reading the dictionary is also funny.
Mikuláš or the Devil: Were you obedient?
In Slovakia, Mikuláš isn't just a jolly old fellow.
Vivat Slovakia: A language guide to independence
Written over 20 years ago, this article is surprisingly relevant to politics still today.
Slovak Matters: Slovak cooking lingo
Mixing up cesto (dough) and cesta (road/way/journey) may cause confused faces around you.
Slovak Matters: Sick as a dog, or under the dog?
The social aspect of being sick has changed since the pandemic, but the language is the same.
Slovak Matters: Hold your mushroom
Mushroom picking is Slovakia's favourite hobby, involving bugs, rain, cold, and poisonous fungi.
Slovak Matters: in praise of burčiak
The activity taking place in a bottle of burčiak can cause internal September storms.
Slovak Matters: learning with less trstenica and more internet
What a teacher will find in a Slovak classroom.
Slovak Matters: A 613 or bugatka car?
A litany of car expressions for you.
- Kanye West is heading to Bratislava. The controversy is not far behind.
- Bratislava’s Nová Tržnica reinvents itself with Yellow Thursdays Photo
- Former NATO General Breedlove: Europe can only defend itself briefly, needs the US
- News digest: Hungary hijacks Slovakia’s foreign policy – for several awkward hours
- Slovakia’s place in Europe’s economy is shifting
- Scientists in Slovakia helping create ‘breathing’ glass Photo
- Villages choke on smoke as landfill fire burns for second month Photo
- Foreign workers fill record number of jobs, but fewer are highly skilled
- Bratislava’s Nová Tržnica reinvents itself with Yellow Thursdays Photo
- News digest: Hungary hijacks Slovakia’s foreign policy – for several awkward hours
- Slovakia’s place in Europe’s economy is shifting
- Rare brain-eating amoeba kills child in Slovakia
- From Seattle to Bratislava: an American’s reverse migration story
- Slovak cities launch nationwide network to support refugees and migrants
- Foreign workers fill record number of jobs, but fewer are highly skilled
- Europe rearms - but can Slovakia be trusted?
- Bratislava’s Nová Tržnica reinvents itself with Yellow Thursdays Photo
- From Seattle to Bratislava: an American’s reverse migration story
- Last Week: Revenge-hungry Smer voters feast on donated ammunition case
- Rare brain-eating amoeba kills child in Slovakia
- Slovakia has given up on attracting quality people. It is disgusting, says expert
- From not knowing an English word to being a noted radio announcer in the US Video
- Too little, too late? Bratislava Main Station’s revamp is still a distant prospect
- A year later, Bratislava’s laser spectacle goes global
- From Seattle to Bratislava: an American’s reverse migration story
- A year later, Bratislava’s laser spectacle goes global
- From not knowing an English word to being a noted radio announcer in the US Video
- Rare brain-eating amoeba kills child in Slovakia
- Two Slovaks deported from US and Vietnam in separate incidents
- Wish you were here: the lost spas of yesterday
- Biting the hand that feeds us
- Slovakia has given up on attracting quality people. It is disgusting, says expert
- Don't you want to?
- Slovak roots: feeling the gravitational pull of Europe
- Kanye West is heading to Bratislava. The controversy is not far behind.
- From doubts to glory: Chára to be inducted into NHL Hockey Hall of Fame Video
- Villages choke on smoke as landfill fire burns for second month Photo
- Here's your guide to summer festivals in Slovakia
- Scientists in Slovakia helping create ‘breathing’ glass Photo
- Former NATO General Breedlove: Europe can only defend itself briefly, needs the US More articles ›
